Kids Kitchen Confidence: Chloe’s Crock Pot Italian Chicken
In this series, Kids Kitchen Confidence, we are following my two daughters in their challenge to prepare dinner for the family, from start to finish! It is a big job to handle for kids to complete tricky kitchen tasks, manage their time appropriately, and find the energy to do the dishes once the meal is over. I knew I was asking a lot, but I believe kids canada will contribute when we practice together and normalize the expectations.
Chloe is my 5 year old daughter who is a busy girl with a big heart! She wants to contribute so deeply, but is still pretty unpredictable with large knives and heat sources. I decided to give her a crock pot meal, to be sure she wouldn’t burn herself frying something up, and to split up the prep time for her. She got the meal going in the morning, and then cooked the pasta and set the table in the afternoon before dinner. Dividing the work time worked well for her so she wasn’t so overwhelmed.
Here’s what she used:
From an adult’s perspective, this recipe is as simple as they come. But for a 5 year old, there were some new skills and learning involved. First, she found the chicken in the freezer. Then she opened the can of soup- that can be tricky for little fingers! Next she cut up the cream cheese into little cubes. This was perfect because it doesn’t really matter how they’re shaped, and it is good knife practice for her! Chloe did all this and shook the dressing over the top in the morning.
Then, closer to dinner, she used 2 forks to shred the meat. She filled the pot, added salt and boiled the water. Chloe needs more practice pouring pasta into boiling water- she now knows it splashes! She set the table, chopped the veggies and got drinks for everyone. I am so proud of her for sticking with it and doing what it takes to get a meal on the table for our family. She was proud of herself, too!
blog comments powered by Disqus
Chloe is my 5 year old daughter who is a busy girl with a big heart! She wants to contribute so deeply, but is still pretty unpredictable with large knives and heat sources. I decided to give her a crock pot meal, to be sure she wouldn’t burn herself frying something up, and to split up the prep time for her. She got the meal going in the morning, and then cooked the pasta and set the table in the afternoon before dinner. Dividing the work time worked well for her so she wasn’t so overwhelmed.
Here’s what she used:
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1 packet dry italian dressing mix
- 8 chicken tenderloins
- Salt and Pepper to taste
From an adult’s perspective, this recipe is as simple as they come. But for a 5 year old, there were some new skills and learning involved. First, she found the chicken in the freezer. Then she opened the can of soup- that can be tricky for little fingers! Next she cut up the cream cheese into little cubes. This was perfect because it doesn’t really matter how they’re shaped, and it is good knife practice for her! Chloe did all this and shook the dressing over the top in the morning.
Then, closer to dinner, she used 2 forks to shred the meat. She filled the pot, added salt and boiled the water. Chloe needs more practice pouring pasta into boiling water- she now knows it splashes! She set the table, chopped the veggies and got drinks for everyone. I am so proud of her for sticking with it and doing what it takes to get a meal on the table for our family. She was proud of herself, too!
Sources:
- https://www.iheartnaptime.net/tasty-tuesday-creamy-italian-chicken/
Stefanie Hathaway
Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2016
Email the author! stefanie@dvo.com
